What about a 2-year degree?

[Fearless Tower]

Actually in the late 70's early 80's the Navy had an LDO program for aviators. Those selected where trained and sent to a training command. It was a short lived program and was implemented due to a shortage of instructors.

There has also been a flying Warrant program. It is one of those things that comes and goes with the needs of the Navy. It was active until at least a couple years ago. In fact, I'm pretty sure that one of the two H-60 pilots that were killed a couple months ago on deployment was a flying Warrant.

 

[denverpilot]

Minor correction: Not all officers have college degrees. Those commissioned from the ranks are called mustangs. Ask me how I know.

Ding ding ding. Although I and everyone else probably just call them, "Sir."

You also have non-Comissioned Officers ...

There's multiple paths to success.

Everybody knows the Master Chief runs the damn boat anyway. The Captain usually almost always agrees behind closed doors. The ones that don't usually do so at their own peril when their superiors look at the performance of the ship as a whole.

 

[Fearless Tower]

Everybody knows the Master Chief runs the damn boat anyway. The Captain usually almost always agrees behind closed doors. The ones that don't usually do so at their own peril when their superiors look at the performance of the ship as a whole.

You've been watching too many movies.

 

[spiderweb]

Best advice here

Thanks, Greg.

When I advise students, I tell them everything is a balance between doing what you love to do, and doing what you need to do.

 

[poadeleted20]

You also have non-Comissioned Officers ...

They are not pilots in any service, other than warrant officers in the Army (who are not referred to as NCO's, a term reserved for enlisted personnel in grades E-4 through E-9).

There's multiple paths to success.

Depends on your definition of "success". If it's to be a pilot in the Air Force, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard, all viable paths include getting a 4-year bachelor's degree and a commission as an officer.

 

[bobmrg]

The military still does commission from the ranks, but those special commissions (e.g., Navy "limited duty officers") are limited both in number and scope of assignment and maximum rank, and they don't qualify one for pilot training. And those are limited to enlisted personnel with many years of experience and special expertise, like my nephew in the nuke power program who did 10 years enlisted as a MM(SS) in the reactor room, then got commissioned, and is now a LCDR working in the nuke power field (R-Division officer on a nuclear carrier, heading to the nuke power school as a senior instructor/department head). The only folks like that in aviation units today are maintenance or admin officers, not flyers.

Where, in JoseCuervo's first sentence, did he mention flying?

I obviously can't speak for the Navy, but I went from seaman recruit to CPO in five years, and seven years after I enlisted I was an ensign. As a white hat, my field was electronics...as an officer, it was a mixture of sea duty as a deck officer and shore assignments in electronics (Loran) or communications. I got to ride in the back of a couple of Albatrosses. That's as close as I got to military aviation.

Bob

 

[poadeleted20]

Where, in JoseCuervo's first sentence, did he mention flying?

I thought a flying career was the OP's objective. Was I wrong?

 

[JoseCuervo]

Minor correction: Not all officers have college degrees. Those commissioned from the ranks are called mustangs. Ask me how I know.

Bob Gardner

If you look at the post, it was about the military valuing officers with college degrees, MORE. I think that is still valid after all the trips down memory lane into the 60-70's....

My original quote:

the military concluded that officers (with college degrees) are MORE valuable than guys without degrees? What would one conclude by looking at military pay scales (aka value)?

 

[JoseCuervo]

At the large company I used to work for, those never would have made it out HR.

I could tell you stories of what did and didn't make it out of HR. And also how HR was part of the hiring role and not part of.

About how HR was centralized 500 miles away, then brought back. About when HR was outsourced to a employement agency, then brought back. About when HR was outsourced to Bangalore, India. About when HR was "digitized" and all resumes were scanned and KeyWords were the sole criteria for a resume being considered. The list goes on and on of how HR was organized.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Ding ding ding. Although I and everyone else probably just call them, "Sir."

You also have non-Comissioned Officers ...

There's multiple paths to success.

Everybody knows the Master Chief runs the damn boat anyway. The Captain usually almost always agrees behind closed doors. The ones that don't usually do so at their own peril when their superiors look at the performance of the ship as a whole.

Are you really going to advise somebody to not get a degree if they were going to have ambitions of being an Officer or a Pilot in the military? Yes, there might be "multiple paths to success", but why set out on the lowest probability path?

 

[tmyers]

I was a NCO and though a parallel path to the O folks it is a position that will always be behind in authority and below in pay.

My son went the O route and I am very proud of him.

As an NCO in the Air Force this was my poem of choice:

"It's not my job to run the train.
The whistle I don't blow.
It's not my job to say how far,
the trains supposed to go.
I'm not allowed to pull the brake,
or even ring the bell.
But let the damn thing leave the track,
and see who catches hell!"


Get the degree!!!!!

 

[JoseCuervo]

Where, in JoseCuervo's first sentence, did he mention flying?

I obviously can't speak for the Navy, but I went from seaman recruit to CPO in five years, and seven years after I enlisted I was an ensign. As a white hat, my field was electronics...as an officer, it was a mixture of sea duty as a deck officer and shore assignments in electronics (Loran) or communications. I got to ride in the back of a couple of Albatrosses. That's as close as I got to military aviation.

Bob

I am guessing I didn't mention flying, nor did I mention commissions vs non-commissioned. My comments were purely around the military pay scale (Value!!), and how the military values those with college to a higher degree than those without. (I would feel confident on that statement with 99%).

As for the path you took, wouldn't it have been quicker to go to 4 years of college and then an OTS/OCS program?

 

[bobmrg]

I am guessing I didn't mention flying, nor did I mention commissions vs non-commissioned. My comments were purely around the military pay scale (Value!!), and how the military values those with college to a higher degree than those without. (I would feel confident on that statement with 99%).

As for the path you took, wouldn't it have been quicker to go to 4 years of college and then an OTS/OCS program?

Economic conditions were considerably different in 1946. There is no way I could have afforded to go to college except on the GI Bill. and that was my original intention when I enlisted. When it came to re-up time, I decided that I liked being in the Coast Guard, doing a job that I enjoyed. Paid off...I retired as a Lieutenant Commander.

Bob

 

[bobmrg]

I thought a flying career was the OP's objective. Was I wrong?

You are right...I jumped on a single sentence, possibly out of context.

Bob

 

[tmyers]

I qualified for the AECP (Airman Enlisted Commissioning Program) when I was in the AF. I already had an AA and it wouldn't have been hard to finished out my education. The AF would have even helped with that. After completion I would have been shipped back to Lackland for OTS just like a newbie.

At the time I was approved for the program I just didn't think I really wanted to make the AF a career, so I didn't do it.

Shoulda done it, hindsight is a wonderful but sometimes bitter thing.

 

[JoseCuervo]

[/B]

Economic conditions were considerably different in 1946. There is no way I could have afforded to go to college except on the GI Bill. and that was my original intention when I enlisted. When it came to re-up time, I decided that I liked being in the Coast Guard, doing a job that I enjoyed. Paid off...I retired as a Lieutenant Commander.

Bob

Truly amazing how trans formative the GI Bill was for this country. From an agrarian / manual labor country to the Space Age and beyond.

You are right...I jumped on a single sentence, possibly out of context.

Bob

Doesn't matter what his original intent was, if he is capable, he will most likely be far better served with an Associates Degree than a HS Diploma, even moreso with a 4-year degree (as compared to a AA or a HS Diploma), and, like mentioned earlier in the thread, **** Happens, and if he finds himself not able to fly, the degree will still be a benefit over not having one.

 

[denverpilot]

Are you really going to advise somebody to not get a degree if they were going to have ambitions of being an Officer or a Pilot in the military? Yes, there might be "multiple paths to success", but why set out on the lowest probability path?

Did I say that anywhere in my post? No. Please learn to read.

All the people with advice are assuming the kid is actually going to a) listen, b) give a crap about a bunch of blowhards on the Internet?

Just shared stories of plenty of folk being successful without degrees. I didn't say it was the easy path.

And I've met plenty of folk who took the easy path and have sheepskin that says they supposedly know things, who have no damned clue about what's actually going on, and folks who don't, who also have no idea what's going on.

My advice then? If you're having to ask on the Internet about how to get from point A in your life to point B you're probably already creating habits in life that will out you squarely in the clueless category. Not like any of this information is hard to find. You're stalling because you already know what the job requires or can find out without asking.

Thus, my vague response. It's fun to see this go on and on and on. LOL.

 

[MadseasoN]

Yep, we all "know a guy without a degree" that is doing well. But, I would guess we know even more who don't have a degree that ain't doing well, or like the poster a few up, live with just a bit more uncertainty about job prospects because of the lack of a degree in a potential reorganization and going out on the open market.

I have an uncle that is in that boat, got laid off from a major bank during a reorganization and has had to spend the last 8-10 years "consulting" on IT projects. He bills a high rate, but you can tell there is stress from the "temporary" nature of being a forced consultant in IT.

It can certainly be done, but it is a harder path, and, I would never advise someone to take a harder path just to avoid World Geography class. I never took a Geography class, but I would likely enjoy it. Always been a collector of maps.

"Had to" spend 8-10 years? What makes you think that a "full time" job is any more secure than a contract job? Every job is temporary in the IT business. I expect to look for a job about every 3-4 years.

My question was, why would someone earning $100+/hr take the time to finish a degree? My question was NOT 'should someone quit college [because it's a waste of time]'. The fact that an HR screener is throwing out resumes for lack of a degree is laziness if you ask me.